


Flirting With Whiskey

by ShakeThatCocktail



Category: Vampire Academy & Related Fandoms, Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Drinking alone, Drunk Rose, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Girly Talk, Jealousy, Making Out, Mason is Perfect, Underage Drinking, Unrequited Love, Vampire Academy - Freeform, Whiskey - Freeform, romitri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-22 23:07:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4854077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShakeThatCocktail/pseuds/ShakeThatCocktail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jealousy tastes like Jack and feels like kisses</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flirting With Whiskey

**Author's Note:**

> Not really based in the movie or book universes, but just in the VA universe in general 
> 
> Enjoy and, as always; kudoses, comments, and bookmarks welcome :) xxx

"Let me guess, the Badicas?" Lissa asked, arms crossed as she looked pointedly at the bottle of whiskey in Rose's blanketed lap. Her dhampir looked up at her, morose, but said nothing. Her pout and smudged eyeliner said it all, and Lissa climbed onto her friend's bed, cuddling up beside her and pulling Rose's head to her shoulder. Rose allowed herself to be comforted, taking another swig from the bottle of Jack she cradled in both hands in her lap.

"They owed me," she mumbled, offering the bottle out to Lissa. Sensing her friend's emotional emptiness, Lissa felt compelled to take a swig of her own, to take the edge off the tiny portion of Rose she was feeling. The alcohol burned her throat and nostrils, making her gag, and Rose let out a single huff of a laugh.

"I still don't know how you're able to drink this stuff. It's disgusting," she commented.

"I like the burn," was all Rose said. They sat there in the quiet for a while, listening to the occasional group of students pass under the ajar window, Lissa's hand occasionally drifting over Rose's dark hair.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked quietly, unwilling to break the quiet of the room. Rose sniffed and repositioned herself against her friend.

"I'm supposed to be the one looking after you," she grumbled, taking another swig of the amber liquid. Half the bottle had already gone. "But not really. I don't wanna talk about it. I wanna drink about it until I forget why I'm drinking."

"You don't want to drink that much," Lissa said. "You've got training in the morning."

"That's what I'm trying to forget," Rose replied, cryptically, shuffling further under her fluffily blanket, a present from Lissa while they'd been living away from the Academy during their daring two-year adventure. Lissa sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of her best friend's head. "What do you do when the guy you're completely in love with starts flirting with other people when you were convinced he was in love with you?" The brunette blurted out, and Lissa raised her eyebrows and blew out a long breath.

"Wow, okay then," she said. "Are we talking about a particularly talk, dark and handsome Guardian that you work with?"

"Maybe." Rose's voice was almost audible.

"Oh, Rose," Lissa sighed.

"I know!" Rose lamented, in complete agreement. The bottle of Jack decreased by a few more millilitres. In the distance, the school bell rang, calling all Moroi to their specialist lessons.

"I'm gonna have to go. Ms Carmack won't appreciate it if I'm late, but I promise I'll come see you later, ok? I want to make sure you don't drink yourself into oblivion." Rose hummed in response, but took another drink anyway. Sighing, Lissa stood and made her way out of the room, but not before placing another kiss on Rose's crown. As her door clicked softly shut, Rose slipped down further under her blanket, so that it was nearly covering her chin and hiding the fact she was drinking. The swish of the liquor in the bottle and the low rumble of the pipes in the walls was comforting to her. Despite the alcohol, her mind kept slipping back to the event earlier that day, where Dhampir novices and Guardians could mix to ask each other questions and generally learn and mingle in a way that they couldn't during normal training times. 

_While there were very few female Dhampir novices compared to male, that didn't mean there was only enough to count off on one hand. Besides Rose, there was at least another eight, but they weren't as skilled as the potential Dragomir Guardian. After their exchange about staying away from each other for the sake of their training, Rose and Dimitri were barely side-by-side the entire time, but it didn't stop them from shooting looks at each other, Rose's filled with enthusiasm and abashment, whilst Dimitri's were filled with affection and something that Rose couldn't decide whether it was hunger or passion. Alberta had taken the opportunity to ask Rose to go through a step-by-step recall of the night in the Dashkov house and the security centre, making her recall any slight fault she'd made and then offering her advice on how to not let it happen again in the future._

_During their exchange, Rose made the mistake of looking over Alberta's shoulder briefly, her eyes immediately landing on the hulking six-foot-seven figure of Dimitri, who was deep in conversation with Meredith. You could almost see the hearts in her eyes as she basked in Dimitri's presence, eagerly asking him questions and flipping her honey-coloured hair over her shoulder so often that Rose was scared she was going to develop a tick in her neck. She inwardly scoffed at Meredith's flirting techniques and how obvious she was being...until she looked at Dimitri's face. Most of the time, in the presence of his colleagues and other novices, his face was impassive and his hand gestures were kept to a minimum during conversation, yet that night, one arm was across his chest while the other gestured vaguely and there was a slight tilt to his lips (lips Rose could remember tasting and feeling setting her skin on fire). He looked so relaxed in places where he usually didn't, and if Rose hadn't known any better, she'd've thought he was flirting._

_Rose didn't know better._

_Meredith looked like she was eating it up, the crush that everyone knew she had on Mason seemingly disappeared. Rose tore her eyes away, feeling hot under her clothes, and tried to focus back on her conversation with Alberta, but her eyes couldn't help but drifting back to the couple talking on the other side of the room._

_"Hathaway, are you ok?" Alberta asked, shaking Rose out of her observation. "You look like you're in pain."_

_"Huh? Yeah, sorry- I've just got a bit of a headache coming on, that's all," Rose lied, faking rubbing at her temple. She watched as Dimitri lead Meredith across to the main door, his hand on her back, guiding her. Rose didn't notice the slight limp that Meredith walked with, but she did notice Dimitri help the girl into her coat and open the door for her into the cold November night. Dimitri did a quick scan of the room, and Rose looked away before his eyes could land on her._

_"Maybe we should get you down to the medical centre. You said you'd hit your head during your fight with Natalie-" Rose flinched slightly at the mention on her friend's name. The friend that'd turned Strigoi at her father's command and tried to kill her- "Maybe it's a repercussion of that."_

_"Don't worry about it." Rose waved the concerns off. "I haven't really eaten much today, and I didn't sleep much last night either. I think I'll just go back to my room and sleep it off." Alberta gave her a dubious look, but nodded her head. Rosa immediately fled, quickly grabbing her coat from a chair by the door that she'd slung it on and all but ran to the Moroi dorm, to stop off at the room of Abby Badica, whom she was thankful to be in. "Pay up, Ab," Rose said, and Abby rolled her eyes before disappearing for a moment and returning to her open door, two bottles of Jack in her hands._

_"What's up, Hathaway?" Abby asked. "You don't look like you're in a great mood."_

_"I'm not," Rose replied, sourly. Abby just shrugged._

_"Ok, but if you get in trouble and you're found with these, you can't say I gave them to you."_

_"You have my silence," Rose replied. "As always."_

_Abby gave her a dubious look. "Make good choices," was all she said before she closed the door. As Rose made her way back down the corridor, she barely paid attention to how quiet the dorm was, despite the fact it was break time and most students came back to their rooms to freshen up or pick up books. Outside, groups of students walked between patches of light coming from lampposts and torches, all of them huddled in coats and scarves against the winter chill. All the bushes alongside the pathways rustled. The Dhampir dorms were quiet, the rest of the novices still at the function with the Guardians or on their way to the training stations. She could just imagine her friends, gym bags slung over their shoulders, trading friendly punches, the Guardians walking behind them and picking their students for their solo training sessions. Rose could just see the redness in Meredith's cheeks as Dimitri pulled her aside and the two of them walking into the gymnasium for a solo session, and it made the fire within her chest become an inferno. Almost running to her dorm room, she slammed the door shut behind her, the cardigan hanging on the back falling to the floor. Flinging herself onto her bed, she uncapped the first bottle and took big gulps, almost spewing it all over her bed, her gag reflex kicking in at the burning liquid. She only just managed to keep it in, clamping a hand over her mouth. Swallowing it heavily, Rose groaned, bending in half to grab the edge of her fluffy blanket and then falling back, dragging it over herself._

_"Why would Dimitri do something like that to me?" She wondered aloud, looking down into her bottle, as if it would answer her. "He's supposed to love me. He said he did." Her voice was so quiet and soft that she almost didn't recognise it herself. She started to feel her eyes water and she immediately rubbed them, ridding herself of unshed tears._

The soft knock on the door caught Rose by surprise. She'd started to drop off a little, the bottle only containing a few more swigs of whiskey. She'd curled in on herself, the bottle nestled between her drawn-up knees and her chest, her back to the door. "Who's it?" she grumbled, in no fit state to see anyone.

"Rose?" A voice called through the door, and Rose pressed her face into her pillow for a moment, letting out the tiniest of groans. Mason wasn't the worst of company she could have right now. She grumbled something incomprehensible, and the door creaked open, Mason's red head peaking around the door. "Oh wow," he remarked, wearing a teasing grin, and Rose glared at him.

"Not in the mood, Mase," she responded, and Mason's face fell. He walked further into the room, closing the door behind him before scooting onto the bed and lying down beside his friend, resting his head on his hand so he could see Rose. Reluctantly, Rose turned over so they were lying face-to-face. "Fancy a party?" She asked, sarcasm in her tone, the bottle held out. Mason huffed a laugh and took a swig, his eyes never leaving Rose's. He ran his tongue over his pearly teeth to get rid of some of the bite that lingered, handing the bottle back.

"Who did this to you, Rose?" he asked, softly, reaching out to gently stroke away some fly-away dark hairs from her cheek. The brunette closed her eyes at the touch, enjoying the feeling of familiar fingertips and their tenderness. With her eyes closed, she could almost believe she was in a different situation and the voice speaking to her had a Russian accent.

"Don't wanna talk," she mumbled, head falling further onto her pillow. Mason moved instinctively closer, wrapping an arm around Rose's waist so he could cuddle her to his chest. She snuggled close, face half-smushed into the soft cotton of his t-shirt. "How'd you know I was here?" She asked, rubbing a crease in the fabric between two fingers.

"Lissa found me between classes and told me you could use someone," he explained, and Rose hummed. She adjusted their position, pushing Mason onto his back with a surprised sound and cuddling up again to his side. Her movements were beginning to feel a little floaty, too fluid for her to be sober, and she probably looked like a puppy trying to push around a toy and falling over. Mason watched her finish the last dregs of the Jack, before reaching for the other side of the pillow and grabbing the unsealed one. "You're really not going easy, are you," Mason commented, watching Rose pull at the seal with her teeth.

"Got no reason to," she replied.

They were nearly halfway through the bottle when Rose's bedroom door was pushed open. Rose and Mason's legs had become entangled as they lay there, Mason pretending to drink by just pressing the bottle to his lips while Rose took hearty swigs. Mason had taken the bottle from her a few moments ago, bending round to place it on Rose's bedside table so she could curl around him more comfortably. One of her blistered hands was resting on the side of his neck, her fingertips moving back and forth against the ridge of his jawbone, just tickling his two-day stubble. Mason had his face buried in her hair, reverently stroking the dark waves as if he knew he wasn't going to get the opportunity to do it again for a long time. He could smell her shampoo, the soft scent of her deodorant, whilst Rose could smell the thin sheen of sweat that covered Mason's body from preliminary training, the rich aroma of his aftershave and the menthol chewing gum he always carried in his pocket that he liked to chew during training breaks. They were so still that they could've tricked themselves into thinking they were actually asleep.

"Why couldn't I just want you?" She murmured, letting her eyes become unfocused and drift in the grey blurry sea of Mason's t-shirt.

"You might not want me," he replied. "But you've got me. You know that."

The moment was so tender that it made Rose's insides itch. Mason was perfect- perfect for her, perfect for a relationship. She could feel his hurt in the lines of his body, in the way the muscles in his lean arm tightened as she ran her hand up and down it. She leant back a little bit, so she could tilt her head up to see the one person she couldn't doubt.

"Yeah, I do." her voice was so soft that it broke. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you, Mase."

"You'd be kicking everyone's ass at training 'cause you wouldn't have anyone to challenge you," he replied, a little bit of his flirtatious sarcasm coming through, and Rose couldn't help the little smile that tugged at her lips. It was contagious.

"You really are a challenge," Rose agreed. "That's what makes you perfect."

Mason's eyes took on a dreamy, twilight-state as Rose shifted, her face tilting up towards his and her hand running up his arm, across his shoulder, and up to his jaw again. They could feel each other's soft breath on their lips, and both their eyes were almost completely closed. Their noses bumped together, and they froze for a moment, both of them trying to get a grip on the situation. Rose was too drunk to realise that if they went any further than this, she could seriously hurt Mason's feelings, and Mason was fighting himself- did he kiss her like he'd wanted to for the past three years, or did he stop and request they do this when she was sober?

"Roza?" The new voice in the room made them both jump, Mason more so, but the fire that Mason had started to douse within her reignited.They both looked to do the door to see the shadowed figure of Dimitri, half-bathed in the light of the corridor. His jaw was set and his eyes were hard.

”Sorry, Guardian Belikov,” Mason stuttered out, untangling himself from Rose’s clinging figure and clambering off the bed, smoothing out his t-shirt and running a hand through his flat hair. “I should probably go.” He began backing away from the bed, never turning his back from Dimitri. “I’ll see you later Rose.” With that, he ran from the room.

Rose paid her retreating friend no attention, her eyes dark and fiery as they stayed focused on her mentor. “Don’t call me that,” she gritted out, sitting up.

”Why’re you not at training?” He asked, his voice indecipherable. “Perhaps you were getting a little too carried away with your break with Mr Ashford?” That time, Rose could clearly hear the anger in his voice, and she made a disgusted sound.

”Please don’t tell me you’re here to have a go at my choice in friends. And Alberta said I could be here.” She took another swig of the Jack, and Dimitri scoffed.

”Is that what Mr Ashford is? A ‘friend’?”

”You sound like a jealous boyfriend, and from what you said to me a few days ago, you don’t want to be my boyfriend or anything close to me.”

Dimitri’s shoulders stiffened at Rose’s tone.

”At least I have more self-respect than to get drunk and throw myself at the next person I see." Rose felt the sting of Dimitri's words, but it just fueled her anger.

"How dare you!" She cried, rising up off the bed and stalking towards the Russian. "At least I don't go around and flirt with other girls in front of the one you said you loved!"

"What?" Dimitri felt like he’d run straight into a brick wall. _Flirting? Who have I been flirting with? Doesn't Rose know that I wouldn't do that?_ "What flirting?"

"Don't make me go through spelling it out for you, Dimitri! I saw you earlier with Meredith. The smiling, the touches, the helping her into her coat. Hell, you even _left_ with her!" Rose's head was starting to hurt at the sound of her own loud voice, her tone taking on a whiney pitch that she hated herself for using. "Is that why it took you so long to get here? You were with her? And you have the balls to say that Mason is more than a friend, you motherf-"

"Yes, I was with Meredith."

Rose was stunned into silence at Dimitri's bold confession, his face completely open, but somehow still frustrating, probably at the small smirk that was starting to form at the corner of the lips Rose loved to taste.

"Huh?" Was all she could manage to get out. Dimitri's smirk grew.

"I was with Meredith...while she was in the medical centre. She injured her ankle quite badly during training a few days ago and she had to go back to have another examination. I simply supported her on her way there and then left to be at training in time. I was simply being polite."

Rose just stood and stared at him, the whiskey starting to taste sour and foul in her mouth. Jealousy didn't taste as good as it had half an hour before. She felt too warm all over, her forearms itching, but she didn't want to move. Dimitri just continued to gaze at her, looking intimidating in his black muscle shirt and too-well-fitting black training pants.

"Did you really think I could flirt with someone else, right in front of you, when I've already told you you have my heart?" He took a step towards her, and Rose swayed back a little. "Why do you think I would do that, Rose? Because I wanted to do it and was too impatient to wait in order for me to to be able to do it with you? You know I want to be with you- I want it more than anything. We just can't right now."

Rose tried to talk, but she felt like she'd swallowed a brick and her vocal cords had been cut. No words or sounds came out, her lips moving soundlessly. Dimitri just looked amused, dark eyes twinkling. Taking Rose by surprise, he surged forward and swept her up into his muscled arms, gently pressing his lips to Rose's. The girl immediately melted, her arms snaking up around Dimitri's neck and pressing herself closer to him, their hips flush against each other. Rose always liked to feel in control and like she had the upper hand, but with Dimitri, she didn't mind feeling so small and weak compared to his hulking frame, especially in times like this. She let out a little kitten moan, sagging against him completely and letting him take her weight. Their lips moved gently against each other's, Dimitri relishing the taste of the illegal whiskey on his lover's tongue. He wanted more if it, more of Rose, more of the closeness, and they both began to move back unconsciously, Dimitri keeping a grip on her as they both fell to the rumpled bed.

Both of Rose's hands twisted into Dimitri's soft hair as his lips travelled down to her neck, leaving gentle sucks along the taut flesh interspersed with scrapes of his blunt teeth, and her slight frame shivered beneath his bulk. His laugh rumbled through her skin, and she let her head fall back completely, nails scratching light at his scalp in pleasure. His mouth travelled slightly lower, and a sharp nip to her collarbone made Rose let out a sharp and pleasure gasp.

"Oh, _Roza_ ," Dimitri groaned against her skin, lips skimming back up until his were just hovering over hers. His head was starting to feel fuzzy, drunk off Rose's responsive body beneath his and their close proximity. His voice was like velvet being dragged across gravel, a rumble so deep within it that Rose almost lost her senses. When their kissing didn't resume, Rose made a little whining noise in the back of her throat. A smile that Rose lived for ghosted over his lips, and he peppered the corners of her mouth with butterfly kisses. "How could I flirt with someone else when everything and all that I want and need is right here?"

Rose surged up and forced their lips to meet, needing Dimitri closer than he was. She wanted to get so close, close enough to get under his clothes, under his skin, right into his heart and soul, and she jittered in delight as one of his broad hands slipped down the entire length of her body to her thigh, before jerking it and wrapping it around his waist, pushing her deeper into the bed. The two of them laughed quietly against each other's lips, Rose playfully nipping at Dimitri's bottom lip and giggling again at the rumble that emanated from his chest. They kissed again, their bodies beginning to move against each other in a subconscious rhythm composed for just the two of them, and Rose's heart began to beat a little faster at the feeling of how much Dimitri was 'enjoying' their encounter. One particularly hard role of their hips against one another had the two gasp into the kiss. Dimitri leant back slightly to look at Rose, a very faint flush to his cheeks that Rose only saw after a highly strenuous training sessions, and his dark eyes' pupils had exploded.

"I'm sorry," Rose finally managed to say, her voice a little rough. "I shouldn't've thought you were flirting." Dimitri raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. "God, I acted like such a sadass, and I shouldn't've drunk the whiskey, and I shouldn't've jumped to con-"

Dimitri cut her off with a short and bruising kiss, Rose having to breath in sharply through her nose out of surprise. It turned gentler almost immediately, and Dimitri's lips pulled away with a soft pop. The hand holding Rose's leg up around his waist began to draw circles and swirls on the denim, causing tiny tremors to ripple through Rose, the dextrous fingers leaving trails of electricity.

"I'm sure we'll find a way for you to make it up to me," Dimitri purred, and Rose couldn't help but meet his grin.


End file.
